An Upper West Side Bar Reopens, Board Games and Stickers Intact

Squeezing in a game of Balderdash at E’s Bar, which reopened after a fire tore through its building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times

By Alix Strauss

June 8, 2017

Earlier this year, when New York was still in the middle of a deep freeze, a heated game of Scrabble was unfolding between Amy and Eric McAllister, a married couple, in a cozy bar with loud music.

“We played this on our first date 19 years ago,” Ms. McAllister, 47, said while Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” boomed in the background. The McCallisters were at E’s Bar, known for its board games, craft beers, tacos and rock music from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. A typical night at E's usually includes both Billys (Joel and Idol), both Davids (Bowie and Byrne), or Prince, or Queen.

In the back room, Samantha Goldburg and Hudson Kuras played Candy Land and Jenga simultaneously. Ms. Goldburg, 23, pointed out that there were instructions handwritten all over the Jenga tiles. One said “text someone and say sorry.”

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Mike Derham navigates through the crowd as the bar celebrated its reopening.CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times

Ms. Goldburg sent a text right then and there to her mother. “It never hurts to apologize to your mom,” she said. Other Jenga directives included: “Buy a stranger a drink,” “Quit your job” and “Lick this tile.”

Such was the playful scene just a few days before a late-February fire ripped through the building that houses E’s, at 85th Street and Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Water damage forced the bar and restaurant to close.

On May 23, E's reopened to much fanfare: Approximately 300 patrons moved in and out of the 2,200-square-foot space as they both celebrated the return of their gathering spot and raised money for tenants living above the bar who were left homeless after the fire. “It’s like a reunion,” said Erin Bellard, 40, one of the owners.

The Monopoly, Sorry, Password, Battleship, Operation and Uno boxes had once again been opened, with boards, cards and plastic objects spread out over tables in the back rooms and on communal ones upfront.

Stacy Rudin, 30, a restaurant consultant and a loyal customer since the bar opened three years ago, said she was pleased with the vibe that night. “The bar was packed; people were in the booths playing games, everyone was so excited to be back,” she said. “I think the biggest surprise is that nothing had changed.”

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The bar is known for board games, craft beers, tacos and rock music from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times

The game collection was Ms. Bellard’s idea. “I wanted to give people a vibe of stepping back into the ’90s, when everyone was having conversations and wasn’t on cellphones,” she said. “I loved CBGB and Mars Bar, so I wanted to pay homage to them, too.” She said Connect Four and Jenga were the most popular. “Everyone knows how to play them,” she said, “and they’re easy to do if you’re drunk.”

If you can’t find the game you want out of some 150 selections, Ms. Bellard will order it. If you want to reserve specific brainteasers and a table, call ahead.

Also making a reappearance postfire was the bar’s signature wallpaper, specially designed and installed by Mike Yrigoyen, an artist from Brooklyn, on a brand-new ceiling. The wallpaper was created to complement the bathroom’s walls and other areas, which are plastered with stickers from retro rock bands like the Beastie Boys, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Green Day and the Grateful Dead. Customers are encouraged to keep sticking — using their own stash of adhesives or supplies provided by the bar.

On the night of the reopening party, guests applied band decals to the new benches outside, and to repaired poles inside that were in need of a fresh covering.

For everyone, including the owners, Ms. Bellard and Ethan Hunt, it seemed as if no time had passed. “We wanted everything put back exactly as it was before so that it would feel like we never closed,” Ms. Bellard said. “And that’s what we did.”